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Louis Charles de France
Louis Charles Joseph '''(22nd January 1741 - 18th June 1748) was a French prince of the House of Artois, the second living child and eldest son of the Dauphin Louis Alphonse of France and the Dauphine Isabelle. From birth, he was second-in-line to the French throne after his father to succeed his grandfather, King Charles XII. As the son of the Dauphin, he was entitled to the style ''Fils de France, ''and as his eldest son he also became known as ''le Petit Dauphin ''at his grandfather's court. Had both he and his father lived to reign, he would have become '''Louis XVI. During his lifetime, he was the favourite grandchild of the King and beloved at the court. He was seen as an embodiment of the strength and continuation of the House of Artois as the ruling house of France, as the first male in the new generation of the direct line of Kings. His parents doted upon him, arguably neglecting their other children as a result. It was noted that this doting and the effort that was put into raising him to be an excellent King paid off for him in the short term, but the effort was seemingly wasted upon his death aged seven. Biography Birth and Events Louis Charles Joseph de France was born on January 22nd, 1741 at the Louvre Palace, in Paris. He was the result of the fifth pregnancy of the Dauphin and Dauphine, and their second live-birth child. The court was overjoyed when the gender of the child was announced, as his birth assured the succession. As the eldest son of the Dauphin, he took the style of Monsieur le Petit Dauphin, ''while his father became ''Grand Dauphin ''as a result of his birth. His grandfather, Charles XII, also granted him the styles of ''Duc de Bretagne and Duc de Valois, a rare honour of receiving two duchies immediately from birth. The parents were both overjoyed with the birth, as were the King and Queen. The birth was celebrated in Paris, with the bells of each church tolling in celebration of his birth. The popularity of his parents and grandparents certainly helped with his initial reputation and personal popularity, greatly increasing the number of celebrations in Paris. It was said by some that half the Kingdom flocked to Paris for Louis Charles' birth, with all hopes and anticipations being on the child being born a boy. To people's joy and adoration, the announcement came that an heir had been born to the Dauphin and Dauphine. He was immediately beloved by his family, especially his grandfather the King, whom he would later become the favourite grandchild of. Early Childhood and Family Life Louis Charles was placed into the care of Therese Elisabeth, Marquise de Macon, the Governess of the Children of France. However, breaking with custom and tradition, his parents took a large and personal role in his upbringing. Even from an early age, Louis Charles was described as handsome and extremely bright. His great-grandmother, Dowager Queen Marie Josephe (who was sixty-two at the time of his birth), likened Louis Charles to the King at a young age. There was truth in the resemblance between the two, both in appearance and personality. The King himself wrote in a letter to Madame de Guise, "It is astounding. The boy seems to have great intelligence, even seeming to surpass his father at times. He will make an excellent King when it is his time. I have great hope in his future success, for I believe he will do great deeds in his time". ''The Dauphin would purchase the ''Château de Meudon for the young Louis Charles, intended for his private use in the future and the home of his household. The King himself set aside a substantial amount of money for the young Petit Dauphin which would be given to him upon his majority to spend as he saw fit. There was great affection for him in the family. He was kind and jovial to all those he knew and he had a way of charming someone with words which made him extremely popular at the court. It was said that he was a strong child, of perfect health for almost all of his short life. He would in future be joined by younger siblings Elisabeth Henriette and Francois Charles during his lifetime. It was said that he was a loving and caring elder brother, having a deep affection for his younger siblings. Louis Charles was betrothed to Isabeau of Bavaria in 1746, who'd go on to marry his brother Francois Charles. He made frequent public appearances at the insistence of his parents, though the Queen disliked the idea. Louis Charles grew up at the height of the courtly battle between the factions of the Queen and the Dauphin against Madame de Guise, who had been the King's Maitresse-en-Titre and still held considerable influence over him. Louis Charles was used as a weapon by the Queen, who viewed him as a great example of the supremacy of the legitimate line descending from the King. Formal Education Louis Charles was appointed a governor, his father's cousin Etienne Francois, Duc de Brabant. Brabant saw that Louis Charles was a notably bright boy, with him excelling in his studies. He learned numerous languages, including Latin, English, Italian and Spanish, all of which he excelled in. He also did well in writing lessons, mathematics, military strategy (he had a specially designed table representing a battlefield to learn from), economics, histories and administration (at the insistence of the King). He also took up a great passion for horse-riding, wishing to some day attend a hunt. He also had great artistic talent, having a passion in drawing and painting. He was known to be extremely talented, even from a young age. It was said that he possessed much of the talent that his grandfather had. It was for his skill and dedication that he quickly became the King's favourite grandchild. The King took a great interest in Louis Charles' upbringing, even taking time to plan some of it out himself, with the help of his father. By age seven, Louis Charles was already displaying an undoubted intelligence and ambition in life. He was clearly the most remarkable of his siblings, being considerably more talented than his younger brother Francois Charles and his younger sister Elisabeth Henriette. His mother, the Dauphine Isabelle, would dote on her eldest son during his education. She took a deeply personal and hands-on role in raising her son, which was quite against custom for the time. It was said that there was a certain bond between mother and son, with Louis Charles becoming her obvious favourite. The same could be said for his father, the Grand Dauphin Louis Alphonse, who cared deeply for Louis Charles. Even the elderly and retired Dowager Queen Marie Josephe made attempts to return to court to visit her great-grandson. It was suggested around this time that Louis Charles should be moved away from Paris, as the air was considered to be unhealthy. His parents, however, denied the suggestion that he be moved from Paris, not wishing to disrupt his formal education and disrupt him with an unnecessary change. Illness and Death The refusal to move Louis Charles from Paris was clearly a devastating mistake. An outbreak of Tuberculosis was circulating around Paris in 1748, leading to a great risk of infection for others. The outbreak would soon begin ripping through the court, though the Royal Family would make an attempt to isolate themselves during this difficult time. It was considered too costly and troublesome to move out of Paris given the circumstances, and so there they remained. The family's personal physician, Monsieur Dubois'', made the suggestion that the poor air conditions in Paris could make the risk of infection greater and the potential for treatment and recovery much more difficult. Despite the circumstances at the time, the Grand Dauphin began to attempt to make preparations to move the family out of Paris. As a number of courtiers died across the course of 1748, the Royal Family remained for the time secluded in the Tuileries Palace. It was truly a difficult time for the court. In late May 1748, Louis Charles began to fall ill. He began to suffer from fatigue and sweats, and extreme coughing. There was extreme anxiety among the family that he had contracted Tuberculosis. When in June he began coughing up blood and suffering an extreme fever, Monsieur Dubois officially made the diagnosis of Tuberculosis. The King and the family were devastated and France's greatest physicians were called in to tend to the young Petit Dauphin. He seemed to have an extreme form of Tuberculosis, and he was essentially constantly bound to his bed for the last two weeks of his life. The Grand Dauphin and Dauphine refused to leave his bedside, despite the risk of infection and the ultimate loss of sleep they would suffer. According to Dubois' accounts, Louis Charles suffered immensely during his final weeks. His symptoms were far worse than he had seen in others affected by Tuberculosis, and described his chances of survival as ''"slim to none" ''in a conversation with the King. King Charles XII was devastated by the news, though for fear of further contamination he ordered the court out of the Tuileries and into the Louvre on June 15th. Louis Charles' condition would continue to deteriorate, and he would receive the last rites on the night of June 17th, delivered by le ''Cardinal d'Orleans. ''During the early morning of June 18th, Louis Charles passed away. '''Legacy' The family were devastated by the loss of Louis Charles. In honour of his memory, King Jean IV ordered the construction of a statue of his young grandson which still stands in the courtyard of the Tuileries Palace. Louis Charles' illness, which was seemingly exacerbated by the conditions of Paris, caused the King to begin to hate the city. It is believed that Louis Charles' death is what caused the King to leave the city and never return there over the course of the rest of his reign, as he has not resided in Paris since 1749, when he finally moved the court back to Fontainebleau. Finding himself more and more tired however, and still anxious of Fontainebleau's relative closeness to Paris, the King ordered the building of a new Chateau, north of Reims, which was named le Chateau de Saint-Robert, ''after Saint-King Robert III. Louis Charles' death is what is considered to be the driving force behind the King's abandonment of his capital, alienating him from the Parisian people. After his death, his younger brother Francois Charles inherited his titles and position as ''Petit Dauphin. Personality and Appearance Personality Louis Charles was known as a jovial and happy boy. He was known to be kind and courteous to those he met, and was always willing to meet new people and make new friends. He was extremely intelligent, and devoted to his education and learning. He had a great passion for animals, art and music, and had many other hobbies. He was known to be a loving and devoted elder brother to his younger siblings. He earned the love and adoration of his family for his kindness and loving nature, which was well-deserved. After his death, King Charles XII reflected on his young grandson, writing in his journals, "He would've been the best King that France would have ever been graced with. He had all the right qualities: a devotion, an intelligence, a charisma and most of all, a great love of France itself. He had a strong and capable mind, and he brought love and joy wherever he went. The greatest King we would've ever known, and fate has taken him away from me." Appearance Louis Charles was said to have been a handsome boy, and strong for his age. He greatly resembled his father and grandfather, and he possessed the typical well-built stature that had been known of the House of Artois. Throughout much of his life, he was compared to his grandfather, even in appearance. It was true that he greatly resembled the King in his younger days, with the same strong features of Charles XII. He was always presented regally in public, wearing expensive and grandiose clothes. He wore vivid colours often, having an adoration and a love for fashion. He often picked out his own outfits to wear, enjoying colours such as light blues, pinks, creams and reds. His strong resemblance to his father granted him the nickname "Demi-Alphonse" (meaning Little Alphonse, after his father's middle name). Titles, Styles, Honours and Arms Titles and Styles As the Petit Dauphin, ''Louis Charles was still entitled to bear the Delphinal Arms. * '''22nd January 1741 - 18th June 1748: 'Son Altesse Royale, Monseigneur le Petit Dauphin de France * 22nd January 1741 - 18th June 1748: ''Son Altesse Royale, Monseigneur le Duc de Bretagne et de Valois'' Honours * Knight of the Order of the Holy Spirit * Knight of the Order of King Francois IV * Honourary General of the Royal Army Category:Descendants of King Charles XII Category:18th Century Births Category:18th Century Deaths Category:House of Artois Category:Fils de France Category:Dauphins of France